Call it an Interval

Winter Interval in the North Cascades

Call it an interval. On Sunday after an indoor ride of 90 minutes we considered the effort. This is, I offered, time well spent. It is raining felines and canines, translating to the fact that most of our group is no longer in the demographic of those in need of character building spins through our beautiful, but soggy, backyard playground. True, we could have done those nagging household chores and home maintenance projects, or even baked special cakes or lounged around a brunch table in bathrobes and fuzzy slippers, but we chose instead to get in a workout. Those in possession of high ACQs, athletic character quotients, those wishing to positively impact their existing levels, those hoping to redirect trajectory stagnation, or those bogged down by the discipline required to avoid muffin tops, spare tires or Dad bods all recognize, or should start to, the importance of consistent work in the critical area we discussed yesterday. The three major cycling specific types of training, be it for racing or enhancements to quality of life are; 1) The high-intensity interval, 2) Sub-threshold steady-state and 3) the long steady distance or LSD ride. 

It should come as no surprise that one of the main benefits of this practice is the effective increase of the practioneer’s metabolic rate. Should one, as one should, be interested in the equation A + B = C, where A is food, our the modern faux equivalent of it, and B is one’s habitual movements, exercise consistency and stress management, C is going to naturally equal the resulting physical, mental and emotional combination of them. Intake plus output equals you. Put another way, if you are interested in making changes to your BMI, gross weight, functional strength and ability to execute simple acts of physicality like walking, climbing stairs, playing frisbee with the dog and maybe even dancing a little on Saturday night, the formula is straightforward: Consume less and work more. This is a generalization and subject to individual variation yes, but the general outline is solid. And this is why we search for creative ways to accomplish the premise. If riding indoors on rainy Sunday morning’s while watching old movies fills the bill, ride them we will. 

The idea of the interval, stress - rest - repeat has been around since the days before we developed our current understanding of time. We knew, as example that after chasing down the wildebeest for dinner we needed a nap to recover. Nobody had to say that the perfect interval was twenty seconds on and sixty in recovery (repeated until the javelina, peccary, wild pig or other species of prolific local game) was 'apprehended', it was understood, accepted and applied. Work hard (get the game) and recover. The utilitarian interval was in the demand, and being that our cavemen ancestors were fond of large family units this format quickly became a necessary practice for survival. And it continues to this day despite the comfort and convenience of our driving to the Safeway for pork. 

After a long day yesterday I sat in my office chair and considered all that had taken place. I was cooked and upon review the fact that I got in two of the three types of indoor cycling workouts mentioned above, a HIT spin class early and a 2x20 set in the evening, as well as a weight-lifting session with Junior between them, might explain why I was thinking about an early retirement. I needed rest and recovery. This hunter had finally gathered sufficient fatigue. 

Call it an interval.